Tag: healthy

When in the mood for something sweet, I can’t even allow myself to think about having something else than 10 g of dark chocolate or a fruit. See, I’ve become accustomed to a generally healthy lifestyle. Milk chocolate bars and potato chips have been out of my vocabulary for years now – except for my pregnancy cravings which I have, thank God, grown out of. But sometimes, a fruit or a tiny piece of dark chocolate just don’t cut it. That’s when a homemade dry cake comes to mind. Continue Reading “Healthy Banana Cake”

When my parents decided to “hire” us to cook for them and their friends, we were more than happy to comply. They’ve all been amazing at supporting our food adventures and I admit it was quite touching for them to trust us with a seated dinner of 15 people in their fifties (i.e. quite picky and not easy to satisfy). The dinner ended up being an absolute hit in the dining room and crazy fun in the kitchen! Not only were we full of adrenaline and couldn’t believe we were making it happen, but we also had excellent company! Continue Reading “Night in the Kitchen Part I – Crab Tartare”

Working out is an amazing thing to be doing on Saturday mornings and Sylphide helped me get out of bed early a few weeks ago. What they did was host a healthy breakfast and workout sessions, seasoned with an hour talk with a cool and hip nutritionist called Nadine Issa. We talked about how to sustain a healthy lifestyle but still enjoy the meals we love and cherish, so I thought I’d share what I basically learnt on that day. Continue Reading “Light Eggplant Recipe + Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle”

There are two sides to the snacks story. One that says you should have three set meals a day and munch on nothing in between; and another that encourages small snacks in between meals to keep your metabolism busy. Naturally, I’m a fan of the latter. There’s nothing worse than not being able to satisfy your afternoon munchies or eleven o’clock “screw-this-I’m-having-lunch” envy. That’s why I keep these 5 healthy snacks handy at all times to get me through the day. So here goes:

A shiny Granny-Smith apple or a banana – these are the only two fruits I feel I can carry around wherever I go. I would love to snack on strawberries, oranges or clementines, but I keep them at home as I enjoy them more there than at work on in the car on my way to meetings

0% fat yogurt – I keep this snack for when it’s 6 o’clock and I still have to wait one workout and a shower until I have dinner. Trust me, this is the best snack you can have to curb that 6 o’clock appetite.

A teaspoon of peanut butter – this is for when I’m craving for something salty. A single teaspoon of it keeps me full for at least 2 hours straight.

Granola – Instead of helping myself to brown bread at breakfast or lunch, I swap it for a handful of granola when I need something to munch on. Jordan’s is my current favorite brand.

Lindt Dark Sea Salt Chocolate – I keep a 10g square of this dark chocolate for the days when I’m desperate for a piece of chocolate. Just letting it melt in my mouth removes all the sweet cravings I might have.

Having juices and smoothies for breakfast or right after gym is the most popular healthy lifestyle habit on the planet. Personally, I’ve only tried it occasionally as I’m the type of person who doesn’t consider a drink as being a meal 😉 On the other hand, I’ve always wondered about the difference between juices and smoothies – what’s the difference between a juicer and a blender and which one is the healthiest? What I found below says it all:

Juicing has gained popularity in recent years due to its amazing health benefits. Juicing is simply the process of extracting juices (and nutrients) from produce for easy consumption. By leaving behind pulp that is full of fiber, the body does not have to work as hard to digest the beverage.

Some prefer to drink a smoothie made in a blender, which contains all parts of the produce, including the fiber. And there certainly are benefits associated with that as well, such as creating a potentially better-tasting beverage that fills you up. There is room for both juicing and blending at the table; in this infographic we explore the pros and cons of each. Whichever one you choose, the combinations of produce you can use to create delicious juices and smoothies are endless. With the exception of tough root vegetables, almost any form of produce works well.

Mother’s Day is fast approaching so it got me thinking about the kind of food my mom cooks at home. The first thing that pops into mind is her famous beef stroganoff. She knows how much I love it and surprises me with it when I’m having the worst days and pop by for a visit. I can smell it when I enter their house and it just makes the happiest girl!

Today, I was lucky to have lunch at home. Since everyone, including my mom, was busy, I decided to make myself a healthy version of beef stroganoff. I had some serious doubts at first since I decided to use yogurt instead of cream, but it turned out to be delicious and guilt-free 🙂 Here’s the recipe.

Healthy Beef Stroganoff

What you’ll need (for 2 persons)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, diced

500 g lean beef, sliced

8 medium fresh white mushrooms, sliced

500 g fat free plain yogurt

1 tsp corn flour

1 cup hot water

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp tomato paste

1/2 cup red or white wine

Chili powder, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make it

Melt the corn flour in the warm water and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the canola oil (on low heat).

Add the diced onions, beef and sliced mushrooms. Toss until the meat is cooked while seasoning with salt and pepper, then set aside in a bowl or plate.

In the same pot, add the yogurt and melted corn flour and stir until it thickens.

Add the beef mixture, season with salt and pepper, and stir for 30 seconds.

Add the mustard and tomato paste and mix until combined.

Season with more pepper and chili powder, add the wine, and stir until you obtain the preferred thickness.

Bring to the boil then let it simmer for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

And you’re done! You can choose to have it with brown rice or a fresh green salad (that’s if you want to cut carbs on that specific day).

I must admit I’ve been feeling a bit down lately. I can’t really explain why. It might be work overload or wanderlust, but I know that eventually, it shall pass. Meanwhile, not so surprisingly, I search for comfort in food. This doesn’t mean fast food and carbs. On the contrary, I’m craving healthy and delicious dishes that I learned to make myself.

This low-calorie noodle soup is all you need after a long day or during a weekend at home (I hear rain is coming back this weekend and I like it 😉 ).

Low-Calorie Noodle Soup Recipe

What you’ll need (for 2 persons)

300 to 400 g of noodles (of your choice)

200 g of mushrooms of your choice

300 g of chicken

1 lemon, sliced

1.5 cups of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

A bunch of fresh coriander washed and separated

2 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 tsp Fish sauce

1 Tbsp sriracha sauce

1 Tbsp Sesame oil

4 Spring onions, sliced

How to make it

Wash and clean the chicken and add it to a pot of water, lemon slices, and ginger. Bring to the boil then let it simmer until the chicken is cooked and tender.

Make the noodles (as indicated on the pack).

When the chicken is done, heat the sesame oil and the fish sauce in a small pot (on low heat), then add 1 cup of the chicken stock (i.e. water from the pot in which you boiled the chicken), soy sauce and sriracha. Mix until they’re all combined, then place the sauce in a serving bowl.

Now for serving it, the idea is for you and your guests to construct your own soup. Serve the noodles and the mushrooms in the main bowl, and the chicken, coriander, spring onions and sauce in separate little bowls as toppings.

That way, you can have your ideal noodle soup made of only healthy and lightly cooked ingredients. Isn’t this awesome? I think I’m not feeling down anymore! 😀

Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between all those kinds of tomatoes? I sure have! So for you cooks out there, I thought I’d share this real cool infographic. You’ll find all you need to know on which tomato to use for which type of meal! 🙂
“Tomato, Tomahto” on Health Perch

It isn’t a secret that food is a means of comfort. During hard-working days, lunch break is greatly welcomed, and the perspective of dinner is what makes us last till the finish line of that oh-so-long Monday. Comfort food is what I crave when I am hit by the blues. I can’t explain this feeling that envelops your heart and tries to take you down. Maybe it’s January and the end of the Holiday season, maybe it’s the load of work that comes with every new year, or maybe it’s simply the general contagious mood. Whatever the reason, I try to get out of it using different methods that generally involve cooking or dining with people I genuinely love. For the days when there are no plans and everyone is too tired to go out, I like to make myself and the hubby something fast and comforting to have in front of the TV (if you’ve been following me, you should know I’m currently obsessed with Sherlock Holmes). This soup is truly for the soul. I made it on a whim with a few vegetables I had lying around the fridge. It’s the ideal meal for a rainy night in. Just make sure you get freshly baked bread on your way home from work.

Easy Vegetable Soup For Rainy Monday Nights

What you’ll need (for 2 persons):

1 medium onion, diced

6 small zucchinis, sliced

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 tsp tomato paste

1 liter of water (or chicken stock)

Fresh coriander leaves

Chili powder, optional

Salt and Pepper, to taste

3 Tbsp olive oil

How to make it:

In a large pot, heat 1.5 Tbsp of olive oil on low heat. Add the diced onions and toss until slightly golden

Add the diced zucchinis and carrots and toss until slightly golden on high heat, then season with salt and pepper

Add the tomato paste, toss just once to cover the vegetables then add the water and bring to the boil

Once the water is boiled, lower the heat, season again with a bit of pepper, 1.5 Tbsp of olive oil and chili powder to taste, then let it simmer till it thickens

When the soup is almost done, add some fresh coriander leaves and mix them in